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Are carbs as bad for pets as everyone says?

6 October 2023

Everyone’s barking about carbohydrates

Chew on this: the case for carbohydrates

There’s a school of thought that believes ancient dogs and cats survived only on prey, and as a result modern pets shouldn’t have carbohydrates like potatoes, rice or pasta in their diets. But is this thought based in fact, or just a bunch of fluff?

It’s mostly fluff.

While dogs and cats may not necessarily need carbohydrates to survive, they have nutritional benefits that help them thrive.
Carbohydrates are important for several reasons.

Carbohydrates are digestible sugars and starch that get broken down by the body into glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for cells in the body, particularly in the brain. Unsurprisingly, carbohydrates are a great source of sustained energy for your pet.

Something you might not realise is that fibre is a carbohydrate too. Fibre is well known for its role in gastrointestinal health. It not only influences stool quality and transit, but fermentable fibres or prebiotics also help promote a healthy gut microflora.

In addition to energy and fibre, carbohydrates often provide other nutrients like antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
Dogs and cats have always eaten carbs

One of the myths you might have heard is that dogs and cats can’t digest carbohydrates. The truth is domestic dogs and cats have been eating carbohydrates like grain and starch for millennia. In fact, wild dogs eat their entire prey and usually start with the gut which is often full of grains and grasses. So, we know that most dogs and cats can indeed digest carbohydrates, they’ve just got to be in the right form.

All Nosh meals and recipes are nutritionally balanced with carbohydrates like brown rice, psyllium husk fibre and potatoes, so you can be certain it’s great for your pet’s body and their brains.

Shop Nosh today

Want to learn more?

  • The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet by E. Axelsson, A. Ratnakumar, M.L Arendt, et al. Nature. 2013;495(7441):360-364.
  • Carbohydrates in the nutrition of the dog by J. Hilton. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 1990; 31(2):128-9.

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